A Melody Falls No More on Deaf Ears

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"The infernal cheek of it!" The Doctor grumbled as the remaining rumbles and screeches of the TARDIS died down finishing with a loud 'whumpf'.

"Ah what's the matter now?" Jamie asked quietly as he looked at the Doctor through the rotor.

"1960s Earth, England, again…I struggle to see why the universe is so very determined to keep plopping us here, in this infernal decade!" The Doctor groused as he tapped instrument panels and flipped switches. "It's like something has a tether on us and is pulling us back to this time and place…"

"It isn't that Intelligence thing again is it?" Jamie asked as he circled the console.

"No, no…some sort of internal fault I suspect." The Doctor said frowning as he glared at the console. "Possibly a fast return switch error…" He took a deep breath. "I dare say,;we can't keep coming back here…"

"Oh? Why?" Jamie asked.

"Reasons…I would hate to start being recognized in one place at one time." The Doctor said fairly sternly as he walked around the console. "You'd be surprised at who is watching. That business with the Daleks for instance…"

"Those demon beasties?" Jamie shuddered, then stopped and smiled and pushed around the console to catch up to the Doctor. "You said 1960s, we could visit Victoria!"

"I'm afraid not, Jamie, we dropped Victoria off in 1968, we're in 1961…" The Doctor said shaking his head, as he tsked at the console. He looked up at Jamie. "Seven years of waiting could get quite tedious…"

"Oh I suppose." Jamie replied with disappointment and leaned against the TARDIS console.

"Nothing for it but to take the entire console navigation section apart and try and rebuild it…" The Doctor said, finally turning a dial. Suddenly there was the distinct sound of a stomach growling. "Though maybe a nice meal might be in order to lubricate the mental faculties…"

"Ah, aye, I'll go and fetch us some sandwiches then." Jamie started, pushing from the console and walking towards the door leading into the depths of the TARDIS.

"No, no, the 1960s is one of the more civilized periods of Earth's history….may as well take advantage of it." The Doctor said as he patted his over-sized black jacket. "I think I may still have some currency relevant to the time period, we should go for a decent meal, maybe Beef Wellington…" Jamie raised an eyebrow. "Well I suppose we might find a place the serves Scottish dishes, haggis I suppose…"

"Oh, now no one can beat a good haggis…" Jamie nodded.

"No, I suppose not." The Doctor said stifling a cringe. "I'll just go and see if I can find my old change purse, I believe it was in one of the side laboratories near Susan's old bedroom…"

"Who?" Jamie asked.

But the Doctor didn't answer disappearing down the hallway.

888

The Doctor patted his stomach. "Now that was quite refreshing…yes quite refreshing…"

"I've never seen so much food…" Jamie said as he looked at the plates stacked on the table. "You coulda fed my entire village on that meal…"

"Oh, don't get so hyperbolic…" The Doctor admonished as he reached into his pocket for the money purse. The waiter arrived and nodded. "Yes, if you would, I'm quite ready to pay now…"

"Sorry, sir, the bill's already been paid." The waiter said with a smile. He turned and pointed. "The woman over at the bar…"

Jamie turned and saw her. A well built lass if he had ever seen one. A pair of darkened glasses covered her eyes as she stirred a glass of some drink with a straw. Her hair was done up, very done up.

"Ay, Doctor, look at the size of the hair on that one…" Jamie said.

"Yes, it's quite large, isn't it…" the Doctor said with a tone of incredulity. "I think maybe we should be going…"

"But that lass has-" Jamie started.

"Yes, I heard, nonetheless…" the Doctor said as he started to get up.

The woman stood and walked over to them.

"Are you the Doctor?" The asked quietly reaching her hand out to the Doctor.

"I could very well be…" the Doctor said glaring rather ruefully at the woman's hand.

"Aye he's the Doctor, and I'm-" Jamie started.

"James McCrimmon, yes, I've heard about you as well…" The woman said smiling and taking the young man's hand and shaking it. "Have to say, the stories I've heard don't half tell about how handsome you are…"

"Oh…ay…uh…" Jamie flustered, blushing slightly.

"I believe you have us at a very grave disadvantage Miss…?" The Doctor interrupted.

"Melody, Melody Malone." The woman said quickly smiling to the Doctor.

"Ah, I see…" the Doctor replied. "Well, thank you for paying for our meal, but as you can see my companion and I are very busy, Ms. Malone, and we really must be going."

The Doctor grabbed Jamie's hand and pulled him and started to walk away.

"You're stuck here." The woman said quietly.

The Doctor stopped and turned. "What do you know?" He narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? What are you?"

"A friend." The woman replied. "Just…not one you've met yet."

"What does she mean?" Jamie asked.

"Madame, if this is true then you know better than to make your presence known to us now." The Doctor harrumphed. Jamie still looked confused. The Doctor rolled his eyes, frowning. "She's from our future…and we really shouldn't be talking to her." The Doctor turned and left the restaurant with Jamie in tow, walking very quickly. "When we get back to the TARDIS we shall take off as soon as possible, anywhere."

"Aye, what's the rush, I thought this was 'one of the more civilized points in Earth's history'," Jamie teased as he jogged behind the Doctor.

"Yes, but this woman, if she's from our future, then it could be trouble, depends on who she actually is…" The Doctor said.

"Didn't she say? Melody Malone…wasn't it?" Jamie said.

"Yes, a very incredulous name if I ever heard one…" the Doctor snorted as they turned a corner, the TARDIS could be seen nestled in an alleyway halfway down the street. "No, she could be anyone, and she knows who we are and that fact is very much not reciprocal…very dangerous, yes…"

They walked to the TARDIS briskly. The Doctor fumbled in his coat pocket.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked.

"The TARDIS key…it's not in my pocket!" The Doctor said frantically. "Did I give it to you?"

"No…" Jamie hissed. "Ah what are we gonna do now?"

"You really could just ask a friend for help…" The woman from before's voice said, as she emerged from a side door of one of the buildings. She held up the key on a chain.

"Thief!" The Doctor groused as he stomped forward snatching the key from the woman's hand.

"Doctor, please, listen to me." The woman said as she ran alongside the fuming Doctor.

"No, I don't like being robbed." The Doctor growled as he unlocked the TARDIS door, opening it and pushing Jamie inside.

"I'm here to help you." The woman shouted as the Doctor slid into the TARDIS slamming the door closed. She growled as she rapped loudly on the door. But the blue box started to grumble and growl. "There's a stasis cube that's hidden in your console…as we speak it is starting to fire up a navigation program." The woman sighed. "If you try to take off; the navigation circuits will simply drop you back here. The TARDIS is trying to get you notice but you've been quite deliberate in ignoring her, as usual."

The TARDIS's grumblings subsided and the door opened. The Doctor's head poking out of the door. "What do you know of the TARDIS's navigation circuits?"

"Quite a bit, actually." The woman said.

"Are you…?" The Doctor tilted his head upwards.

"No, I'm not one of them." The woman said, rolling her eyes. "I'm a friend. You'll need my help. I know you'll need my help because you told me you would."

"I find this all very convenient." The Doctor said with a furrowed brow.

"It has been known to happen in the universe!" The woman said pushing herself through the door opening and into the TARDIS. "Oh my…"

"It's bigger on the inside than on the outside." Jamie said with a smirk.

"No, I've never seen it this clean before…" Melody said as she walked to the console and slid her hands over the sharp hexagonal edges with all the clickety-clackety buttons and levers. "Oh look, at you…aren't you just quaintly adorable…"

"Ms Malone, if that's your real name, do please be careful." The Doctor grumbled as he moved between her and the console closing the door behind them. "Now this is a very sophisticated machine."

"Yes, and she's been done very poorly by you for centuries." Melody said. She saw Jamie cover his mouth to hide a snicker.

"I'll have you know I take exemplary care of the TARDIS." The Doctor groused as Melody dropped down under the console and pulled a panel loose.

"The mercury links need repriming…and what have you been doing to the helmic regulator." Melody chastised as she looked up into the circuits. "And these Zeiton-7 crystals could go for a re-latticing…."

"Well, I never-" The Doctor grumbled, dropping down next to her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Panel two, slot seventeen, data core adjunct three." Melody recited.

"There is no data core adjunct three." The Doctor grumbled.

"Yes there is." Melody replied.

"No there is-"

"There it is…" Melody said reaching in and pulling a small cube from a slot.

The TARDIS shook, the center column started to move. The trumpeting wail of the ship started up.

"Ay, is the TARDIS supposed to be doing tha'?"

"Yes" Melody said, hopping up and brushing herself off.

"No, it most certainly is not!" The Doctor retorted as he scrambled to the console and started flipping switches. "It's taking off on its own, it shouldn't be taking off! I haven't inputted any coordinates!"

"Don't have to." Melody handed the cube to Jamie. "Be a dear plug that into the receptacle over there."

"Now, just a moment!" The Doctor harrumphed. "What is that thing!?"

"Don't you remember?" Melody asked. "It's going to be a painting, one you're going to help paint…"

"Oh my…" The Doctor said as he looked over to the cube. "It's that time already then…"

"Yes, Doctor." Melody said quietly. "Are you ready?"

"Doctor?" Jamie breathed.

"Do what she says, Jamie." The Doctor said as he undid was he had just done and starting doing something else. "And be prepared, it may get rough…"

The TARDIS shook, the console warbled in protest as the ship shimmied. Jamie staggered slightly. Melody grabbed his wrist and staggered with him, gently pulling him from the console room into the adjoining hall.

"Aye, what are you doin'?" Jamie protested.

"What happens now, the Doctor must do on his own…" Melody said sharply, grasping Jamie's wrist tightly. "Please, you mustn't. Just let's go down to the kitchen and make some tea…"

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Jamie waved as the Doctor rushedly pushed him into the TARDIS giving Melody a wary glance back before slipping into the blue box. The box disappeared quietly into the emptiness of the alley.

"Well, that's done…" River said quietly as she turned. "Are you quite happy?"

"Yes, I suppose I am." An older gentleman said wearing a black, red-inline jacket. He held out his hand. "I'd have done it myself but…"

"Oh I'm aware of how well two of you work together." River said with a sneaky knowing smile. "Get three of you in a room you'll nearly destroy the universe with your bickering."

River took the Doctor's hand.

"We still have a few hours before dawn on Darillium, if we hurry we might catch it." The Doctor said with sad smile.

"I have to go to the Library; I have one more contract to fulfill. But I won't make it there if you keep taking me back to Darillium…" River said. "It's as if you don't want me to go."

"I suppose, you aren't wrong." The Doctor said quietly, in a morose tone. "If you insist, then I really have no choice."

They rounded a street corner finding a blue box very much like the one they had just walked away from. The Doctor opened the door revealing a vast inside, more darkly lit than the prior, and much more cluttered with books and things. He walked around the console flipping switches and turning dials.

"Where exactly were you to meet up with your benefactor?" The Doctor asked as he punched in numbers.

"Tazarius in the outskirts of the Kiligane Cluster. 51st Century." River replied as she followed behind him.

"You are committed to this then?" The Doctor asked, stopping and turning quickly and looking River in the eyes with his sad, blue eyes.

"Of course!" River replied, frowning. "You know how these things go. I can't just not show up; I have a reputation to uphold!"

"Yes, I suppose you do." The Doctor said quietly turning his attention back to the console. "Except, you're forgetting something."

"What?" River asked.

"Your gift." The Doctor replied turning. He presented her with the sonic screwdriver he had given her nearly twenty-four years ago. "You left it in the suite at Darillium. Better have it with you, you know how archaeology digs go."

River looked him in the eyes. His entire face seemed to wear a cloak of resignation.

"Thank you." River said taking the screwdriver and putting it in her purse.

"Tazarius then…" The Doctor said, turning and pulling a lever as the rotor started to move and the TARDIS screeched to life.

"I'll see you again, you know, we still have to see the sunrise, right?" River asked quietly as she looked at him. "Night hasn't ended on Darillium, yet."

He didn't meet her gaze. He simply looked at the rotor. "Of course we'll see each other again." The Doctor looked over to her; he smiled to her with a distant smile, as if he was smiling to a ghost. The screeching started again and then the rotor stopped and the console dinged their arrival. He looked down at the console. "Got it in one, fancy that…" He looked to River. "Best be on your way, wouldn't want to miss your appointment."

River nodded and walked up to him and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. As she pulled back she thought she caught the glisten of a tear in his eye, but he turned quickly and started fussing with the console.

"Goodbye, sweetie." River said quietly.

He looked up and nodded and flashed a smile that could only be described as 'his last smile to River' and said. "Goodbye, River."